Man arrested after standoff with police

Suspect tells officers he doesn't want to go to jail

Moffat County law enforcement officers threw a gas canister into a home at 796 Barclay St. early Tuesday morning to flush out a man who had allegedly held them at bay with a "dangerous weapon" for nearly 12 hours.

Jonathon D. Crook, 23, was taken into custody without incident at 3:45 a.m., capping off a long standoff that began at 4 p.m. Monday when Craig police responded to a woman at Eighth and School streeets who said her boyfriend had assaulted her in the home.

The woman "had obvious injuries to her face" and was transported to The Memorial Hospital in Craig for treatment, police reported in a press release issued Tuesday morning.

Police have not provided details on the weapon Crook allegedly had in his possession. During their investigation, officers determined Crook is a convicted felon. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Crook and a search warrant for the residence.

During the standoff, Crook indicated he didn't want to go back to jail and wanted officers to shoot him, police reported.

There were 11 officers on the scene, said Craig Police Sgt. Marvin Cameron. Some were clad in black and toting assault rifles or shotguns. Police set up a "command center" at nearby St. Michel's Catholic Church.

Moffat County Sheriff's Investigator K.C. Hume attempted to make contact with the man inside the house with a megaphone. Hume urged him to answer the phone, saying officers were getting the answering machine and wanted to work things out. "After exhausting all options," officers deployed gas into the residence, police reported.

The Moffat County Jail had no booking information on Crook as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Police cordoned off several blocks of the neighborhood, which sits in an older, established section of town.

Officers did not evacuate the neighborhood, but they did advise people on foot and in vehicles to avoid the area. Police called neighbors to advise them of the situation. Police did not feel that the unidentified weapon was dangerous enough to warrant evacuating nearby homes, Cameron said.

The last time Craig police encountered a similar situation was last June, Cameron said. It was another domestic violence situation where a man refused to exit a home and police were forced to go in, he said.

Rod Orchard, who lives in the neighborhood, knew something was amiss when he saw an officer soaking wet near the scene.

"I thought, 'what the hell is that dingbat doing out in the rain,'" Orchard said.

The rear of the house was surrounded by a tall fence blocking the view into the house from the backyard.